Polina Shulbaeva is Selkup knowledge holder born and raised in the Indigenous Selkup-Khanty village of Novy Vasyugan in Central Siberia. Her People developed unique ways of living by the Vasyugan swamp (the largest wetland system in the Northern Hemisphere). Her research and work centers Indigenous knowledge for addressing contemporary socio-environmental challenges. She is particularly focused on Indigenous rights, climate change, biodiversity conservation, and traditional ecological knowledge. Ms. Shulbaeva is a permanent consultant for the Cultural Survival and for the Centre for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North. She has been representing Indigenous Peoples of Russia at diverse UN fora on biodiversity and climate change advocating for the rights of nature and People.

Indigenous Peoples’ perception on climate change: Stories from Siberia.
Selkup - are an Indigenous people living in West Siberia. Our People equally honor the taiga forest and the swamp. Our generations have lived in harmony and good relationship with the surrounding environment, non-human neighbours, and unique swampy climate. Climate change has a vast impact on Indigenous peoples lifeways around the world, including those living in the small remote territories of the Arctic and Siberia. This talk will reflect on the perceptions of Indigenous people to environmental change. Examples will include observations from the ground and community stories about the socio-cultural impact on culture, language, Indigenous knowledge, and traditional subsistence activities. interaction with nature and biodiversity. This talk will endeavour to provide a vision of Selkup on climate change through the eyes of people living in the heart of the Siberian taiga, whose daily life, language and culture depend on the stability of swamps and forests.